Hunters killed seven grey wolves in the first four days of Wisconsin’s inaugural wolf season. The DNR says all of the animals were taken in the northern third of Wisconsin in Iron, Vilas, Oneida, Rusk, Taylor, Lincoln, and Eau Claire counties. Five of the wolves were shot, and trappers took the other two.
The season began Monday and will continue until the end of February. It could end early though if quotas are reached, or if the courts halt the season. A Dane County judge has ordered a temporary ban on the use of hunting dogs until a court hearing December 20th. A pair of national groups say they plan to file suit to put the Upper Midwest wolves back under federal protections. Until then, 116 grey wolves are open to hunting in Wisconsin.
The state held a lottery earlier this year that granted 1,160 people the right to purchase a wolf hunting permit. As of Thursday, 669 people had bought hunting and trapping licenses for the first season. Some permit-holders have said they will wait until it snows to buy a license, so they can more easily track the animals.
